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Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack

Written by Nina

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IKEA Dresser into Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet | Everyday Enchanting for Remodelaholic.com #diy #ikeahack #knockoff #furniture


Hey Remodelaholics! Nina from Everyday Enchanting here to show you how I updated an Ikea Tarva Dresser and transformed it into a gorgeous and inexpensive knock-off of the Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet! This is my second Pottery Barn knock-off, we also built a custom sink console, which you can read about here!

This post contains affiliate links. Please see our full privacy policy and disclosure here.

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via Pottery Barn

Unfortunately, the $800 price tag is very much beyond my budget. This is the case with most of the furniture I fall in love with- it’s what ultimately led to me becoming a DIYer and then later a DIY blogger! This is what I love to do- create a high end piece from either scratch or a less expensive (but sturdy) piece!

tarva-drawer-chest__0143746_PE303248_S4

via Ikea

The Ikea Tarva unfinished dresser is much closer to my budget at $80. Contemplating the photo, I realized that it would be possible to create the look for a fraction of the price of the PB version by purchasing the dresser, and using some items I already had to finish it up with the look of an apothecary cabinet.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

 

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack

I ordered the Tarva and assembled it as soon as it arrived. I followed the instructions completely, even though I knew I would be taking some parts back off- and assembled the entire dresser.

TarvaApothecary3

When it came time to do the finish work, I unlocked the cam lock screws and removed the drawer faces.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

I also removed the legs, since they would need to be cut down to accommodate the trim better.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

As you can see from the photo above, the PB version has faux-drawers which appear to be panels added on top of the cabinet faces. I opted to use the router to add evenly spaced grooves to the drawer front instead- which ultimately saved the expense, time, and hassle of purchasing wood and adding the panels. We measured out two evenly spaced areas to add the groove, then used a 3/8″ roundnose router bit and router table to add the detail grooves. TIP: Make sure to do a test run with a spare board and the router to confirm your measurements.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

After routing, I broke the sharp edge with 100 grit sandpaper to match the other bevels. Then I went over the entire face with 220 grit sandpaper.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

Next I trimmed down the dresser legs and reattached them to the dresser.  

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

Next we cut the base trim at a 45 degree angle.
Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.comWe glued and nailed the trim to the bottom of the dresser. I filled the nail holes and allowed the wood filler to dry.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

After the wood filler was dry, I sanded down the whole dresser with 220 grit sandpaper. I started by staining the base trim with Minwax Dark Walnut. I suspected from the sanding that the trim was softer and would absorb the stain differently, and that proved to be correct. I ultimately ended up adding a second coat to the bottom trim.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

I wanted the groove details to appear darker, so I added the stain first, allowed it to sit, and then stained the rest of the drawer front.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

 

I didn’t allow the stain to sink in for very long before wiping it away, and I only did one coat- I loved the somewhat wild look of the PB version and this was an easy way to get a similar look.

After the stain was dry, I installed the drawer pulls. They were the perfect finishing touch! I plan to also apply some dark wax later on to finish it off.

Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

I honestly love it even more than the inspiration photo! It will be used in our living room for storing DVDs, Wii Games, and board games.


Ikea Tarva Dresser to Pottery Barn Apothecary Cabinet Hack @Remodelaholic #ikeahack #knockoff #apothecarycabinet #DIY on Remodelaholic.com

Project Breakdown:

Time: approx. 3 hours including assembly (with drying times in between)

Cost: Approx. $121.50 
$80 Ikea Tarva
$10 Trim
$ 31.50 Hardware
(Stain, sandpaper, wood filler, and router bit were on hand.)

 ———————————————-

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Published: August 28, 2014Filed Under: Contributor, Furniture Building Projects and Plans, Tutorials Tagged: Contributors, DIY, Furniture, How To, ikea, ikea hack, Tutorials

About Nina

Nina is a blogger at Everyday Enchanting where shares DIY projects, party inspiration, crafts, and recipes. She and her husband Mack are gradually transforming a 1980s colonial into a dream home full of modern farmhouse style. In her spare time she loves to do projects (of course!), daydream about future projects, read, and travel to NH.


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Comments

  1. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    August 28, 2014 at 6:26 am

    I’ll be honest, I like your version better too!! 🙂 EXCELLENT job and a great way to get the for a heck of a lot less! I just revamped all of our living/dining room pieces and there’s more satisfaction doing it yourself even if the process can be daunting sometimes. Great job!

    Reply
  2. Samantha says

    August 28, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    Amazing! Awesome job and so creative!

    Reply
  3. Crystal says

    August 29, 2014 at 10:28 am

    Love it!! It turned out beautiful!!

    Reply
  4. Tracie Redleaf says

    October 31, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    If you wanted to you could even add some wood to the inside of the drawers to section the space for clothing items or whatever. Love this remake so wonderful.

    Reply
  5. Kellie says

    June 10, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    I actually prefer your version to the Pottery Barn one. Very nice!

    Reply
    • Cass says

      June 11, 2015 at 12:20 am

      Thanks, Kellie!

      Reply
  6. Brandi says

    October 25, 2015 at 5:07 pm

    You say you finished its dark wax. Can you tell me what kind?

    Reply

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